Golf ball retriever



United States Patent 11113,547,477

1 1 In en RichardM-Young 2,538,325 1/1951 Pfeiffer.. 294/19A SouthGate,Calif. 3,029,097 4/1962 Ward..... 294/19A [21] Appl-No- 6 ,550 3,421,788 1/1969 Smith 294/19A [22] Filed 0ct.2,1968 Primarf dEA xammer 1c ar egerter ggii ggze AssistanrExamiuer-W. Scott Carson Los Angeles County, Calif.

[54] GOLF BALL RETRIEVER 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 294/19 [51] Int. Cl A63b 57/00, 57/00, A63b 47/02 [50] Field of Search 294/ 19, 19.1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,452,679 4/1923 Fisher 294/19A Attorney-Hyman Jackman ABSTRACT: A length-adjustable handle, at one end pivotally and adjustably mounts a spring wire ball-engaging member, a portion thereof pivotally carrying a trigger that is set and held in cocked position by another portion of said member so the latter portion is retained in spread, ball-receiving position, the cocked trigger, when encountering a ball in the latter position, being pivotally released by withdrawing the detent portion of the trigger from between said spread portion of the wire member, allowing the latter to close around the BalLto retain the same captive during retrieving thereof.

PATENTED um 5m 3547A INVENTOR.

M YOU/V5 manner.

. l I coLrnAu. RETRIEVER BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION The present retriever, while useful for. retrieving objects of various shapes andsizes and under a variety of Conditions, is especially adapted for retrieving golf balls from water hazards on golf courses if within the range of use of the present retriever. f 1 M .An object of the present invention is'to provide a golfball retriever of the character referred to that, when not in use, has a contracted, elongated form that maybe conveniently stored in a golf bag and, when required for retrieving a golf ball from a pond or other area of water, may be ,quickly and easily extended to the desiredlength, the ballreng'aging means thereof as easily set to a convenient angle of use, and the latter cocked to ball-receiving position-all in a time-saving-and expeditious This invention alsohas for its objects to provide such means that are positive, in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple,- and of general superiority and serviceability. I

The invention also comprises novel details'of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of-parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present ball retriever comprises,igenerally, ahandle retriever means '6 pivotally connected at 7-, and a trigger 8 mounted on said means 6 to cock said means to a position receptive of a golf ballB submerged in'wate r or otherwise difficult' of access, when actuated by encounter with the ball,

place difficult to reach. I j

. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE. DRAWING In the drawing, like reference charactersdesignate similar Parts in the several views. "1

FIG. I is a top plan view, inv cocked position, of a ball retriever according to the invention, theha'n'dl'e thereof being broken away.

FIG. 2 is a sideview ing portion of the handle being shown.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, with the handle omitted, showing the retriever in released ball-retaining position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged .cross-sectional view as taken on the plane ofline4-4ofFIG. 3. 5

DESCRIPTION 05 THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT of the retriever, as inFlG. 1, anextend- The handle 5 preferably comprises-a plurality of telescopi- I cally connected sections which, in practice, may be con- I tracted to a length of some inches and,whe n extended,

over relation so that opposed finger pressure on said cars will spread the detent extensions from their crossed-over position of FIG. 3 to the trigger-cocking position of FIG. I.

The pivotal connection 7 is shown as a screw '20 that passes through the hole 11 in the end handle section and through the eyes. 17 on either side of-a flattened end 21 of the end handle section 10, and a wing nut 22 on said screw 20 to tighten the connection at whatever angular position to which the retriever means 6 is adjusted relative to the handle 5. v

The trigger 8 is shown as a sheet metal liner that has a pivotal connection 23 on the circular portion 12 of the means 6 in centeredrelation to the detents l8 and on the side of said portion that is closest to said detents. Saidlever comprises a concavely curved arm 24 that, generally, depends from said pivotal connection, and an arm 25 at an angle to arm 24 and directed toward the pivot 7. The trigger is so balanced that the arm 25 seeks a lowered position, as in FIG. 2. The arm 24 is in the form of a narrow, inwardly curved member that is adapted to be caught between the detents 18, as in FIG. I, and fric- ;tionally retained therebetween under spring bias of the halves 14 of the lower portion 13 of the means 6. The arm 25 extends across the portion 12 and, when the trigger is'cocked as in FIG. 2-, is in the path of the crown of the ball B as the retriever is applied thereover. Said crown will engage-and lift said arm be noted that as said spread halves 14 close around the ball,

the ends thereof provided with the detents l8 resiliently press the curved arm 24 against the lower portion of the ball. as in FIG. 4. This arm, when the retrieved ball .is withdrawn,

becomes recocked, readying the device for subsequent use. In any case, the arm 24 may be manually moved to cocked position. 1 r

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

, Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the parsmaller than the diameter of a golf ball orother such object, a

lower portion 13 parallel to the portion 12' and formed of semicircular halves 14, two generally parallel extensions 15 and 16 from each of said portions 12 and 13, and an eye 17 portion 13, on, the side of said portion opposite to the exten- I sions I6, and detent-settingearsl9 on'said detents in crossed-v enabling-pivotal adjustment of the handle and member, and

ticular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within .the scope of the appended claims;

Iclaim:

- I. A ball retriever comprisingz a. a spring wire member formed to have an upper circular portion smallerthan the diameter of a ball to be retrieved, a portion spaced below and parallel to the upper portion and comprising semicircular halves, and: connecting extensions from said upper and lower portions; and a trigger member pivotally mounted on the upper portion on the side thereof opposite to said connecting extensions and comprising an arm extending over the space within theupper portion and an arm directed at a downward angle from the first arm; and each said semicircular half, on the end thereof opposite to said connecting extensions, being provided with a detent extension, said extensions, under bias of said spring halves, frictionally gripping the downwardly angled arm to cock the trigger member and to spread the mentioned halves so the same surround an-inner space larger than and receptive of a ball to be retrieved, said first arm, when encountered by the ball during reception by the spring wire member, being moved. thereby in a direction to withdraw the downwardly angled arm from between the detents, freeing the spread halves to contract around the ball and retain the same captive.

2.-A ball retriever according to claim I provided with an elongatedhandle, a pivot connecting an end of the handle with the connecting extensions of the spring wire member,

means to tighten said pivot to retain the angular adjustment between the handle and the wire member.

3. A ball retriever according to claim 2 in which the mentioned connecting extensions are formed to have parallel eyes adapted to engage opposite sides of the handle end and through which said pivot extends.

4. A ball retriever according to claim 3 in which the spring wire member is formed of a single length of wire in which the detent extensions comprise the opposite ends.

5. A ball retriever according to claim 1 in which each detent extension is provided with an end extending at an angle thereto, said ends being oppositely directed, and an ear on each said end serving as means, when pressed toward each other, to spread the detent extension for receiving the mentioned downwardly angled arm of the trigger between them.

6. A ball retriever according to claim 5 in which the lastmentioned arm of the trigger extends downwardly within the detent-provided end of the semicircular halves, said arm, when the halves contract around the ball, being pressed by said halves into ball-engaging position'.

7. A ball retriever according to claim 6, the ball-engaging portion of said arm being curved to fit over the surface of the lower portion of the ball in captive position. 

